Is That It?

This isn't all there is. The 9-5 job, in my case 7-6. Health, life, car, and long-term care insurance. Dirty dishes, laundry, children, and animals. Mortgages, utility payments, school loans, car loans, doctor bills, activity fees, grocery bills, and allowances. This isn't all there is. Sickness and even death, hurt feelings, broken dreams, disappointments, AA meetings. This in't all there is. Whether you live 8 or 80 years, This isn't all there is, there's more.

We used to sing a song in church that goes like this.

"Within the veil,
I now would come.
Within the holy place,
To look upon Thy face.
I see such beauty there,
None other can compare.
I worship thee my Lord,
Within the veil."

I realized something yesterday. Behind the veil is not some secret, mystical place that can only be entered after hours of worship or prayer or fasting or denial. It's something that is entered in the midst of the mundane. That's the paradox, isn't it? Christ did something extraordinary in order to transform the mundane. He left His throne beside God the Father, and became the Son of Man. He entered the veil of humanity so we could enter behind the veil of eternity. When I am writhing with pain on my bed, that's why I can see behind it into His purpose. When there is not enough money to purchase all the basic needs, that's what allows me to see this isn't all there is. When my child is hurt by the hands of another, that's what allows me to forgive and to make her understand it's not her fault. Behind the veil I see God's hand in the setting sun; the promise of another day. Behind the veil I see God's hand in the rain; though it is unpleasant for the moment, it is necessary for new life. Behind the veil I see God's hand in every aspect of life; knowing He has a purpose and a plan. Behind the veil, I realize it is less about my faith in my knowledge of Him, than in His knowledge of me.